Every March, we celebrate Women’s History Month, an annual declared month in the United States and worldwide that highlights contributions of women to events in history. Its origins are found in 1978 when the school district of Sonoma, California, participated in Women’s History Week, a weeklong celebration designed around International Women’s Day, which is now celebrated on March 8. In 1987, Congress expanded the celebration when March was declared Women’s History Month. Its official centennial will be celebrated in 2011. The theme for 2010 is “Equal rights, equal opportunities: Progress for all.”

Last year, Speaker Nancy Pelosi has even issued her own public statement on the celebration, in which she states “Every March, we take time to honor the many women whose courage and vision have helped build and sustain our nation. We honor those who fought for progress; we acknowledge those who lead the charge today; and we recommit ourselves to expanding opportunities for all.” She also promises “Congress will continue to work to put women and children first. That includes investments in early childhood education, ensuring military families have the benefits they have earned and deserved, and strengthening the equal pay act. And as we do, we will take forward the lesson of Women’s History Month: that by knowing their power, women can, and do, change the course of history for all Americans.”

International Women’s Day has been observed since in the early 1900’s, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies.

It all began in 1908, a time of great unrest and active campaigning by women demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights. In accordance with a declaration by the Socialist Party of America, the first National Woman’s Day (NWD) was observed across the United States on February 28, 1909. Women continued to celebrate NWD on the last Sunday of February until 1913. (more…)

After a Starbucks customer received her coffee from the Barista, she was so inspired by the employee who thanked her in sign language that she wrote a letter to the company suggesting that all employees should do the same.

Starbucks has posted a video response at MyStarbucksIdea.com and the reader commentary there is extremely supportive.

Should Starbucks Baristas be able to say Thank You in sign language? How should Starbucks best accommodate hearing- or speech-impaired customers?

Watch the video below, and share your vote at MyStarbucksIdea.com.

You don’t have to learn sign language to tell the world you’re eco-minded!
You can help the environment by recycling your used printer cartridges and cell phones. Your inkjets, toners, and cell phones are worth more than you think!
Why not recycle them at eCycleGroup.com?

This week marks the beginning of Lent, a period of 40 days of penance and reflection in which many Christians prepare for the coming of Easter. The week typically begins with feasting at Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) parties as people celebrate eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season.

Ash Wednesday officially begins the season as many faithful receive blessed ashes on their foreheads symbolizing the confession and penitence of the day. The remaining days of Lent are symbolic of the 40 days of temptation that Jesus spent in the wilderness following his baptism.

According to the Journal Gazette/Times Courier “In addition to special worship services, Christians generally observe Lent with acts of introspection, self-examination, and repentance for one’s sins.” Some may fast or give up something (e.g., a food or an activity) during the time of Lent. Others spend the 40 days in prayer, practicing special devotions, or volunteering for various charities. (Technically, the time period between Ash Wednesday and Easter is 46 days, but Sundays don’t count, as each is considered to be a ‘mini-Easter.’)

This year, Reuters reports,  “Church leaders are encouraging people to give up their iPods for Lent, instead of more traditional vices such as chocolate, to help save the planet.”

What a great idea! The Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, and the Bishop of Liverpool, James Jones, are calling it a “technology fast,” and are suggesting that people give up such devices as mobile phones or iPods as a way to cut carbon emissions during Lent.

“Instead of giving up chocolate for Lent, why not fast for justice … to help those suffering from the effects of climate change,” said Jones. “There is no climate justice for the poor. The Carbon Fast helps us change the way we live; the Climate Justice Fund helps the poor adapt to a changing climate.” (more…)

It’s been nearly two weeks since the catastrophic 7.3 magnitude earthquake in Haiti, and people everywhere are moved by the tragic situation overseas. According to recent reports, more than 150,000 bodies have been recovered in the capital Port-Au-Prince alone, and the United Nations says it still does not know how many bodies remain buried in the rubble of collapsed buildings. Efforts are now shifting from searching for survivors to providing aid and shelter for the hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the catastrophic destruction.

A report at CNN.com indicates that medical teams are currently organizing to provide assistance, as an onslaught of doctors have answered the call for medical aid. Unfortunately nursing staff and safe space to provide post-traumatic care are at an extreme shortage. Healthcare providers currently in Haiti suggest that doctors and physical therapists who want to help should wait to volunteer in a few weeks or months, when thousands of amputees will need significant, specialized post-operative care.

Are you looking for a way to provide some assistance to Haitian earthquake victims?  Thanks to Mashable and additional research, we’ve compiled the following short list of authentic and reliable ways to provide emergency relief to Haiti. (Please click the “More” link to review the list.) (more…)

Well, it took a little bit of sleuthing, but a friend helped me track down the back story on the Holiday Light Show video we posted a couple weeks ago.

This Christmas light display is produced each year by Richard Holdman,  a professional lighting contractor who creates unique animated and static lighting setups year-round for a variety of commercial and consumer purposes.

Not only is the display quite beautiful, but Goldman uses it to collect funds for the Utah Make-a-Wish foundation to enrich the lives of children with life-threatening medical conditions. The 2009 holiday light show has already raised more than $5000 in donations to grant this year’s wish; his display raised more than $10,000 in 2007, and nearly $4500 in 2008.

This holiday light show is Goldman’s labor of love, and he dedicated more than 250 hours into the initial development, programming, and construction. Each year it takes about 100 hours to set up the display. Goldman’s holiday light display includes around 150,000 lights, transferred from 21 dedicated grounded circuits by nearly 7000 feet of extension cords. The red, green, and white sequencing is programmed using software and hardware from Light-O-Rama. The display for 2006 used 80 different channels, 2007 was 176 channels, and for 2008 it used 215 channels. The music to which the lights are synchronized is broadcast on a short-range FM signal, so viewers can listen from within their cars. They also have speakers outside so pedestrians can enjoy the music as well.

Carol of the Bells – 2008 Holdman Christmas Display from Richard Holdman on Vimeo.

While many might consider such a display to be a waste of energy, according to Goldman, the display is actually 100% wind-powered! Goldman uses electricity provided by his local power company, and then replaces the power back onto the grid with Wind Turbines using a service provided by www.renewablechoice.com – Goldman says his display consumes about 1800kwh; he covers that use by sending 3000kwh back to the power grid. (more…)

The soldiers of the 101st Airborne, 159th Aviation Brigade found a newborn puppy on an Afghanistan battlefield — so they rescued the puppy, and made her a part of their brigade.

“It obviously had been abandoned. There was no mother around… It was very, very young, so if they would have left it there, it would have never made it,” said Teri Lemmons, mother of Army Cpl. Michael Lemmons.

Unfortunately, when the time came for the soldiers to return home, military law prevented the soldiers from bringing their beloved pet back with them on military planes. The cost of shipping the dog was more than $2500. Faced with the possibility of leaving her behind, the soldiers got creative.

The touching story was broadcast on the ABC News with Charles Gibson last week. Watch the video below to see how this shaggy dog story ends.

A friend gave me a link to this blog TheDailyOcean.blogspot.com; written by Santa Monica resident Sara Bayles, her plan is to spend 20 minutes collecting trash from her local beach each day and record her efforts online for 365 non-consecutive days. At each visit, she takes a photograph of what the beach looked like that day, a photo of the trash she collected, and she also includes a photo of something beautiful.

She keeps a running tally of each day’s collection: So far, only 70 days into her project, she estimates she has collected more than 325 pounds of trash. Sara says her goal is to raise awareness, and add some inspiration to help change the world.

Sara started the project back in May and since then, has blogged her nearly daily efforts to clean up beach trash, 20 minutes at a time. Sometimes she goes alone, sometimes she collects with her husband Garen, but just this weekend she collected trash as part of 350.org’s  “Day for International Climate Action” in a giant beach cleanup project co-hosted with GreenLaGirl Siel,

Sara says her inspiration for this project came when she “realized I could treat everyday like a beach clean-up day, instead of waiting for an organization like Surfrider to host one.” She does belong to Surfrider, and says she believes membership in organizations like theirs is important, but ever since she moved closer to the beach, she “decided to do something to help protect our oceans as often as I could.” (more…)

Art teacher Sheri Lowe was alone in her Houston classroom with 10-year-old Kyle Forbes when she began choking on an apple. Kyle quickly ran to her rescue and administered the Heimlich Maneuver, a technique he learned in Cub Scouts. “I knew what to do immediately!” says the enthusiastic young man.

As a child with autism, Kyle is used to feeling like an outsider, but this experience has transformed him into a hero: “I was like a superhero and everybody was cheering me.”

Have a wonderful weekend, and let’s all be thankful for marvelous feats from unexpected heroes!